


Admit It

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Women's Murder Club (TV)
Genre: Banter, Canon Typical Mentions of Dead Bodies, Crimes & Criminals, Episode Tag, Episode: s01e11 Father's Day, F/F, Female Friendship, MEs and Morgues, Pining, Pre-Relationship, everyone knows but them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28150287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: Cindy is a horrible liar, and apparently clueless. At least that's what she keeps being told.
Relationships: Lindsay Boxer/Cindy Thomas
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Admit It

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Doranwen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doranwen/gifts).



“Hi, Heather, thanks so much for meeting me. I know you just got back from your honeymoon, but the timing was just-- you know.” Cindy quickly held out her hand to shake.

Heather smiled and returned the gesture. “Of course. Of course. Wait, I-- um, I know you.”

Cindy busied herself getting out her notepad and pencil, conveniently avoiding eye contact. “Yes, I work with the SFPD. Well, kinda. I’m the crime columnist from the Register; I wrote the first story on Isela Quiroga and now I want to do the follow up. You know, your perspective as her teacher, how immigrant children fit in our classrooms. I’m sure I mentioned it in my voicemail.”

“No, I know your face.” Heather frowned.

“You’ve probably seen me around the precinct? On the Quiroga case, I’m sure.”

Cindy could see the moment it clicked for her and winced in anticipation. “You were in the alley.”

“I-- I was there as well, yes," she admitted, ducking her head.

“I see.” Heather took on a decidedly less friendly tone.

Cindy decided to go for broke, since she was already busted. “Um, since you brought it up, I do want to tell you something. I have been told that weddings are very stressful and I totally get that, and I’m sure it must be complicated even more for you because of all the drama with the snowstorm and your family--”

“Wait, how do you know about that?” Heather interrupted

“Oh, uh, I have an eidetic memory. And Deputy DA Denise was telling everyone about how she was filling up your family’s tables and saving the wedding.”

“Oh great.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make things worse. I’ve been told I’m really good at that, unfortunately. Anyway, I just wanted to reassure you about something. After Denise got drunk and upset Jill’s boyfriend, he drove off with her purse and keys, she called Lindsay to come pick her up. That’s the only reason we were in the alley. We intended to just pick her up like quiet little mice and leave. I was with Lindsay all night and I can promise you she wasn’t skulking around trying to ruin your wedding.”

Heather shook her head. “W-- why are you telling me this?”

“It was something you said that night, about her not being over Tom." Cindy explained, "And I’ve watched enough Hallmark channel movies to know that you were probably worrying about her and Tom, working together. And I felt so bad that we made you feel that way on your wedding day, and I thought that, in case you were still worried about it, that you should know that Lindsay wasn’t there to cause a scene with Tom or anything. She has moved on -- they both have. So you don’t have to worry about it. You can believe me, because I’ve been repeatedly informed that I’m a terrible liar. Repeatedly.”

“O...kay.” Heather looked slightly reassured, but this was not how Cindy wanted this meeting to go.

“Also, you looked really pretty in your dress. It didn’t seem like a good time to tell you, before, but you did,” Cindy added quickly.

“Well this is surreal.” Heather massaged her forehead for a moment. Finally she dropped her hand and stared at Cindy. “So, why is it so important to you that I get the right impression about that night?”

“I- I don’t like people not knowing the truth. That’s one of the reasons I became a journalist, actually. And Lindsay--" Cindy sighed. "I think you two have the potential to be really good friends. She really respects you, you know.”

“Lindsay respects me?” Heather looked disbelieving.

“She does! She said so to my face.” Cindy wasn't sure if she should mention the bad liar thing again. “I respect you too, for what it’s worth. I respect anyone who can teach kindergarteners, though. All their little sticky hands? I just, ugh," she shuddered.

Fortunately Heather laughed. "I get that surprisingly often, actually," she admitted.

“Anyway, Lindsay, she's… she’s very prickly; you shouldn't take it personally. I’ve only been friends with her for a short time, I mean, I’m still not allowed to call her by her first name in public, and you’re already passed that step.”

Heather gave her a piercing look that was scarily reminiscent of Lindsay. “You sound like you’re in love with her.”

“Wha? Me, psh, i--in love? What? That’s-- where would you get that idea?”

“Wow. You really are the worst liar," Heather shook her head with a smile.

Cindy sighed in defeat. “It’s a curse. H-- how could you tell?”

“Oh, a woman knows.” Heather said mysteriously.

“Do you think Jill and Claire know?”

Heather smirked. “Do you speak around them at all?”

“All the time.”

“Then probably.”

"Uuughh!" Cindy let her head flop down onto her reporter's pad.

“You should tell her how you feel,” Heather said.

“Are you kidding me? She’s always threatening to handcuff me and charge me with crimes! She’s scary!” Cindy knew it was a weak protest, but it was what she had.

“And yet you want me to be friends with her?” Heather scoffed, still smirking.

“Friends! Not _girl_ friends!”

Heather just kept smirking and sipped her coffee.

oOo

“Jill, are you able to keep a secret?” Cindy asked, as soon as they had gotten their coffees - getting in just minutes before the cart closed.

“That is... a thing I am capable of, yes.” Jill said.

“Even from Claire and Lindsay?” Cindy pressed.

“If I have to, yes." Jill gave her the side-eye. "What’s this about? Is it a case?”

“No! Well, not exactly. Well, no, not at all. And I mean I guess I don’t mind if Claire knows, if she’s able to keep a secret too. I wasn’t sure about asking her, though, I mean, not that I thought she’d be against it, but-”

“Oh, you finally figured out you’re in love with Lindsay. Don’t worry, Claire already knows that.” Jill took a sip of her coffee nonchalantly.

“What?” Cindy gaped at her.

"Mmmhmm," Jill hummed into her coffee. "And speaking of, we need to get down there; Claire's got news about our unknown floater from yesterday."

"Wait, but you both know?" Cindy asked, even as they headed deeper into the precinct. "How long have you known?"

"Longer than you, clearly," Jill smirked.

"I don't--"

"Murder victim first, your love life later," Jill teased as they hit the stairs.

"It isn't a love life!" Cindy protested. "I can't even tell her--"

"Tell who what?" Claire asked as Jill pushed open the door.

"Cindy finally figured it out," Jill said smugly.

"Hey!"

"Figured out what?" Claire held up a bloated purplish hand.

"Ugh!" Jill quickly spun back around. "She--"

"You said focus on the case," Cindy quickly cut her off. "So let's-- let's do that, shall we?"

"Oooh, she figured out _that_ ," Claire said, giving Cindy a look. “Damn! I just lost twenty bucks to Jacobi.”

“ _Jacobi_ knows?” Cindy gaped.

“Well honey you show up at crime scenes dropping her name. Not to mention the way your face lights up every time she waves you under the tape. He’s a detective, girl. If he hadn’t figured it out I’d have to check his eyesight,” Claire snarked.

“Oh my god. Lindsay’s going to kill me.” Cindy sank down onto the closest stool and dropped her head into her palms.

“She’s not going to kill you.” Jill said, sounding entirely too smug to be reassuring.

“She threatened to handcuff me to a car last week,” Cindy pointed out, not sure if she wanted to prove the wrong or not.

“That’s because you went to talk to money launderers on your own without backup, and she was right about that.” Claire scoffed.

“Claire, did you hear--" Lindsay burst into the morgue. Cindy's head jolted up and Lindsay caught sight of her. "Oh, you’re here." She turned back to Claire. "Did you hear what she did today? She _volunteered_ to go talk to two armed gunmen holding hostages! She could have been shot!”

" _You_ let me go! _You_ had my back! The only way I could be in danger was if _you_ weren't good at your job, and I don't believe that for a second." Cindy defended herself. "I was the only one there who didn't look like a cop and spoke Spanish! What would you have me do?"

"Stay in the truck where it was safe and let the professionals handle it!" Lindsay shot back.

Claire sighed. “For the love of god. Lindsay, just admit that you love her, and the only reason you keep getting mad at her is because she keeps risking your heart every time she risks her neck. Cindy, just admit that you love her and the only reason you haven’t told her is because you keep thinking she hates you and is gonna handcuff you again. And while you’re at it, admit that you _might_ just like it if she did that too. But do it and get it over with!”

Over the blood rushing through her ears, Cindy heard Jill's muffled snort.

“Wait, what?” Lindsay said after a moment.

Knowing it was hopeless, Cindy nevertheless tried to salvage things. “Psh, I don’t-- I don’t have a _thing_ for handcuffs.”

“Wait, what?” Lindsay repeated.

“I notice you didn’t deny the rest of it,” Jill taunted.

“Wait, what?”

"Oh stop playing shell-shocked and kiss her already," Claire said.

"There is... a dead body deserving of respect--" Lindsay began.

"That's a protest against the venue, not against actually kissing me," Cindy said before she could sensor her words, her reporter's brain picking up on the discrepancy almost immediately.

"You can use my office if you don't want to ruin the moment," Claire offered.

"Uh, you know--" Lindsay half-turned towards Cindy, "You know that I was with _Tom_ -"

"I also know about your college girlfriend and that you had to be discreet about your bisexuality after you started training to become a cop because of their outdated militaristic don't-ask-don't-tell mentality... and I probably shouldn't have given away that I looked into each of you…" Cindy trailed off.

"Each of us?" Claire raised an eyebrow.

"She's a reporter, you expected her _not_ to be nosy?" Jill said. "We all know Lindsay ran a background check on Cindy once she started hanging around."

"Uh, th-- thank you, I think?" Cindy replied.

Jill shrugged and took another sip of her coffee.

"A--and i--in the interests of full disclosure, I'm sure it came up in said background check that I'm gay and that my last roommate was actually my girlfriend and that we broke up a little over a year ago?" Cindy said, just in case it hadn't.

"It… did not," Lindsay sounded surprised.

"Oh! Well… n--now you know," Cindy said awkwardly.

"Now that that's all cleared up, you two gonna finally kiss and get it over with or what?" Jill asked.

"If you wanna take a few minutes in my office, Jill and I won't mind; and poor John Doe here isn't getting any deader." Claire added, nodding at the corpse on her table.

"That isn't nec--" Cindy was shocked when Lindsay cut her off and grabbed her hand.

"Thanks Claire, we'll be right back," Lindsay said, tugging Cindy towards the door.

"Wait, what?" Cindy couldn't help but parrot Lindsay's earlier comment, even as the door closed on Jill's knowing smirk.

Before could say something, Lindsay gently pushed her down onto the desk. "You're really gay?"

"I really am," Cindy replied.

"And you really like me?"

"I _really_ do."

"E--even though I threaten to handcuff you and--and I'm too committed to my work... to the point where it destroyed my marriage?" Lindsay asked.

"Even with all that," Cindy managed to say.

"Oh," Lindsay sounded surprised. "So you _do_ want to kiss me?" she asked quietly, uncharacteristically shy.

"I wouldn't say-- I mean-- I don't _not_ want to--"

"Oh shut up," Lindsay muttered, leaning in to kiss her. Cindy shut up.


End file.
